Former President Donald Trump’s closing media strategy amounts to a series of home games — a schedule tilted heavily toward conservative outlets and away from mainstream interviews — while Vice President Kamala Harris is virtually visiting audiences across a broader swath of the political spectrum.
The divergent tacks offer hints about where the two candidates stand, and how they hope to win, according to interviews with officials from both campaigns and outside political strategists. Trump is focused largely, but not entirely, on finding and mobilizing voters who already agree with him. Harris is trying to do the same with folks who prefer her, but she is also working to persuade a chunk of the electorate that remains undecided about her.
“There’s a belief that movable voters move late,” said one Harris campaign official, who described the thinking behind her approach on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for her.
With three weeks left to go before Election Day, both candidates have added in a heavy mix of nontraditional outlets known more for their cultural relevance than their political import. That suggests a race against time to find unlikely voters and get them to the polls.
“Both the Trump and Harris campaigns have leaned into cultural podcasts, entertainment media and talk shows, all of which could be key in activating certain segments of the voting population,” said Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist.
“This should be a complementary approach to a wide variety of traditional news media outlets and interviews,” he said. “But 2024 seems to be an exercise in the great replacement theory of presidential media strategy, and it is unclear if friendly base interviews are enough to reach the voters who matter.”
In the past week, Trump has appeared on popular podcasts geared toward conservative young men, lending his voice to the “Full Send,” “Bussin’ With the Boys” and “Flagrant” programs. At the same time, he canceled an interview with CNBC and opted not to sit for a party nominee’s traditional “60 Minutes” segment on CBS.
Trump often derides nonpartisan media as “fake news” and an “enemy of the public,” but he hasn’t completely abandoned those platforms. On Tuesday, his interview with John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of the markets-minded Bloomberg News, turned combative at times. On Wednesday, Trump spoke with the Spanish-language giant Univision. And, his campaign officials note, he frequently gives news conferences to an array of media, including reporters from major broadcast and cable networks.
They say Harris’ decision to go on Fox News on Wednesday, along with recent appearances in friendlier media environments such as the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Howard Stern’s show and ABC’s “The View” smack of sudden desperation following a period earlier in her campaign where she was criticized for avoiding interviews altogether.
“She’s obviously doing a Hail Mary,” Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said, referring to a free-for-all passing play attempted by a football team when it is trailing at the end of the game.
Trump’s core message to voters is consistent across platforms, she said.
“The way we persuade them is talking about the economy, No. 1, talking about the border, No. 2, and reminding people what life was like when he was in office,” Alvarez added.
Since she took over as the Democratic candidate for President Joe Biden, Harris’ media strategy has evolved. At first, she didn’t sit for interviews. Then, in recent weeks, dipped her toes into the waters of friendly media — daytime and late-night hosts, podcasts and a session with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God. Now, with the Fox News interview Wednesday and a CNN town hall slated for next week, she is moving more clearly onto less-accommodating turf.
A second Harris campaign official said her team believes it is now in a very small window where undecided voters are paying attention, and she can actually break through. This official said that development means having Harris show up in nonconventional places and making her case.
Harris aides also are using her strategy to contrast with Trump, saying the former president will take questions only in friendly settings while she will show up in a range of venues.
Specifically, this official said Harris’ appearance on Fox News is indicative of the fact that she needs white working-class women. She is seeking to reach these Fox viewers who are motivated by abortion and economic issues. That same logic has driven the Harris campaign’s decision to run ads on Fox News.
It’s not clear how much either candidate will gain from their late-season media blitzes, regardless of how friendly or confrontational the interviews are. To some experts, they look haphazard.
“There’s no logic, rhyme or reason to what either of these candidates is doing,” Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis said. “This is throwing darts at the dartboard.”
Bartlett, the GOP strategist, said that at this point in the campaign it’s unlikely that new information will change many voters’ minds or drive hordes of unlikely voters to the polls.
“Is there anything that Donald Trump can say or can be said of him that any American has not heard for the better part of a decade? And is there anything that Harris can say or do in the next three weeks that can either change her impressions over the few months [she has been running] or make up for a short-fuse presidential run?” he asked.
“You get the feeling that the cake is baked, and now it’s just a question of whose goose is cooked,” he said.
